Instagram is among the top five social media platforms with more than a billion users. Odds are, if you are sharing photos online, you're logging in and sharing via Instagram. Which is what makes it so frustrating if Instagram is not working for you.
Here's how to get Instagram up and running again for you.
Quick tip: Check out our guide on how to use Instagram.
The best way to solve an issue with Instagram is usually the same as fixing any other kind of tech problem. You troubleshoot it one step at a time. Usually by trying the easiest or most likely potential fix first, and then moving on to more cumbersome solutions.
Here are eight ways to troubleshoot your problem, from easiest to hardest.
Right off the bat, let's make sure your problem isn't related to your number of followers. If you see an error that says you can't follow additional people, that's not an issue with the app, your phone or the data cache. That means you have reached the maximum number of accounts that you can follow: 7,500 users.
If you encounter this problem, you need to unfollow some accounts before you can follow new ones.
1. In the Instagram app, tap your account avatar in the lower-right corner.
2. At the top right of the screen, tap Following.
Tap Following. Devon Delfino/Insider3.
Scroll through the list and unfollow a few accounts you no longer need by tapping Following. You should see the button turn blue and change to Follow.
Note: This process is the same whether you're using an iPhone or an Android device.
If an app appears to be misbehaving on your phone, your first step should always be to restart the system to flush out any corrupted memory or cache files.
First try to completely close Instagram. If you need a refresher, here's how to close an app on Android or close an app on iOS. After that try running Instagram again. If the problem persists, shut down your Android or iPhone and restart it. Then try Instagram again.
Instagram has a reliable network, rarely experiencing the kind of network errors that you might notice when using the app.
If restarting your app does not solve the problem, check to see if Instagram is down.
You can check Instagram's network status at DownDetector, or search "Is Instagram down" on Google.
Another method to see if you're facing an issue on your end or on Instagram's is to try logging into your account using another device.
If it still doesn't work, then it's likely an issue on Instagram's end. But if you can log in on that device, you can be confident that it's an issue with your device.
If you haven't updated your apps in a while, Instagram might be misbehaving simply because the app is out of date.
It's a good idea to leave automatic updates turned on — you can turn on automatic updates on your iPhone or update apps on your Android.
Tap Software Updates to turn them on or off. Devon Delfino/InsiderAfter trying the first few troubleshooting steps, it might be a good idea to see if Instagram works in your desktop browser.
If you already are using Instagram in a browser and don't have a different device available, you should try a different browser, like Firefox or Chrome.
Quick tip: It may also be an issue caused by using a VPN on your device. In that case, try turning off your iPhone's VPN.
If Instagram works for other people or you were able to access Instagram in a browser but not on your phone, that sounds like you might have a problem with your cache — it might have some corrupted data.
Quick tip: Check out our guide on how to clear your Instagram cache and free up space on your phone.
If you are using an Android device, you can simply clear the cache. The steps might very slightly depending upon which phone and version of Android you are running, but here's the general procedure:
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps & Notifications.
3.
Go to your list of apps (you might need to tap See all apps) and tap Instagram.
4. Tap Storage & cache.
5. Tap Clear cache.
Note: If you're using an iPhone, there's no way to clear the cache without uninstalling the app, so do that — delete Instagram from your iPhone, and then reinstall it from the App Store. You won't lose any data, because Instagram stores all your photos and account settings online.
Like many apps, Instagram requests permission to use various services and resources on your phone. If you don't grant those permissions, Instagram might not work properly. Check your permissions and enable them to see if that solves your problem.
If you have an Android phone, follow these steps:
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps & notifications.
3. Go to the list of apps (you might need to tap See all apps) and tap Instagram.
4. Tap Permissions.
5. One at a time, tap each permission and choose Allow only while using the app, then use the Back arrow at the top to return to the previous screen and move on to the next permission.
If you have an iPhone, do this:
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Scroll down to the list of apps and tap Instagram.
Tap Instagram. Devon Delfino/Insider3. Turn on each permission, such as Microphone, Camera, Contacts and Photos.
If you run out of storage on your phone, it may be difficult for you to access Instagram. In that case, the app may be crashing frequently, or simply stop working.
Deleting unwanted photos, videos, or apps can free up space on your iPhone. Android users can check out our guide on 5 easy ways to free up storage space on an Android phone or tablet.
If none of these troubleshooting tips solved your problem, you can check Instagram's help center or report the problem you are having. The process is the same regardless of the device you're using:
1.
In the Instagram app, tap your account avatar in the lower-right corner.
2. Tap the three-line menu at the top right and then tap Settings.
Tap Settings. Devon Delfino/Insider3. Tap Help.
Tap Help. Devon Delfino/Insider4.
In the Help center, you can file a report about the problem you're having or read Instagram's help and support articles.
Quick tip: You may want to supply screenshots, if that would help them locate the issue. If so, take those before going in to Instagram's Help area.
Devon Delfino
Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.
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Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life.
Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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Instagram is the dominant photo-sharing platform on the Internet and has become the sole social media site used by people who prefer to express themselves with pictures rather than words. But what do you do when Instagram goes down or the Instagram app keeps crashing? Here we show you the main reasons Instagram is not working and how you can fix it.
A good place to begin fixing the issues with Instagram not working is relaunching the Instagram app by removing it from the list of recent apps and launching it again.
Another important preliminary fix is to restart your Android phone or iPhone, which can sometimes be enough to make things right again.
Also, make sure you have a stable Internet connection. If you’re using Instagram on Wi-Fi, restart the router as well. You can also try switching to mobile data to see if the issue is with the Wi-Fi connection or vice versa.
Next, you must check whether Instagram is down for everyone. A telltale sign of servers being down is when you get the “5xx” error or your Instagram feed doesn’t load.
You can use a third-party status checker, such as Down Detector, Is It Down Right Now?, or Outage Report. Enter the Instagram URL and it’ll let you know whether Instagram is down with messages like “Possible problems at Instagram” or “Problems at Instagram.”
Other places to check include Instagram’s Twitter handle. Look for any company posts and updates or search for Instagram on Twitter.
If Instagram is experiencing outages globally, there’s nothing much you can do except wait for its team to fix the site.
If the above solutions haven’t worked thus far to fix Instagram, it could be that you have not updated the Instagram app to the latest version on your device.
Newer versions usually contain security patches and bug fixes along with new features.
To update the Instagram app on Android, open Google Play Store and search for Instagram. If you see an “Update” button next to Instagram, tap on it. Check out other methods of updating apps on Android.
Similarly, on iOS, open App Store and find Instagram. Hit the “Update” button next to it.
Once you’ve finished updating the app, try running Instagram again.
If the Instagram app isn’t working on your Android phone, try clearing the Instagram app data and cache as shown below.
” To clear the data, go through the same steps again, but this time, tap “Clear storage” instead.If the Instagram app isn’t working on your iPhone, you must offload it. This process ensures that your Instagram data is retained on the phone when you delete the app, and it will be restored when you reinstall Instagram. It’s essentially a roundabout way of clearing the cache.
To “offload” Instagram from your iPhone, go to “Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage.”
Scroll down until you find the Instagram app, tap it, then tap “Offload App.” Restart the iPhone. Go to the App Store, find Instagram, and install it again.
If the Instagram app crash is caused by a bug, and clearing the cache or offloading the app didn’t help, you can fix the problem by uninstalling and reinstalling the Instagram app.
”Another way to uninstall Instagram is to go to “Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage -> Instagram -> Delete App.”
If you’ve noticed that your problems with Instagram have started since an app update, then you can try rolling the app back to a previous version. The best way to do this is through APK Mirror.
Make sure to uninstall the Instagram app before you try the following steps.
Instagram requires many app permissions to work properly on your iOS or Android phone: Camera, Contacts, Microphone, Photos, and Storage, to name a few.
If permissions for even one or two of these are disabled, Instagram may not work properly, and the app may crash on your phone.
On Android, make sure app permissions are enabled by going to “Settings -> Apps -> Instagram -> Permissions.” Depending on your Android version, on this screen, you’ll need to either tap the switches next to each option so that they’re green or tap entries in the “Denied” list, then allow them.
On iOS, go to “Settings -> Instagram” and make sure all of the relevant permissions are given there.
With the use of a VPN, you can access all of the restricted content in your country. One of the advantages of using a VPN is that it hides your Internet presence and bypasses regional constraints. This means you can use apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. in countries where it is restricted.
The downside of this is that a VPN may be the reason behind Instagram not working. A faulty VPN may not load the Instagram feed, you may experience a delay in sending or receiving messages, etc.
If you are using a VPN, turn it off to check whether Instagram is working again.
Instagram needs to be connected to the Internet to continuously update your feed, send/receive messages, and show you notifications regarding your post. For Instagram to run uninterrupted, you need to make sure the background data is not restricted.
To ensure it’s not restricted on Android, head over to the Settings menu on your phone, then “Apps -> See all apps -> Instagram -> Mobile data & Wi-Fi.” Set the “Background data” toggle to On. This ensures Instagram has access to the Internet while it runs in the background.
If your Android or iPhone’s storage is low, you may experience issues with the Instagram app, such as Instagram continuously crashing or stopping. Learn how to check and free up storage on Android and iPhone.
To fix the the issue with Instagram not working on your phone, you should try logging out of your account.
To do so, open the Instagram app and go to your profile screen. Tap on the hamburger icon (three horizontal bars) followed by “Settings.”
Scroll down and tap on “Log out username.” Restart the phone and log in again.
Like most other apps, Instagram also has a set of error messages and known issues, and this list is regularly updated so that users can find possible solutions to their daily issues with the app.
Note the error you see and do a search on Google to find out whether it’s already been handled. Most likely, other users have had a similar or same issue and found help.
Usually, the issues with Instagram not working are only one the mobile app. So if Instagram isn’t working on your mobile device, try using the Instagram web version in a browser on your phone, or try using Instagram on a different device, like your computer.
If none of the steps listed here resolve the problem, report the bug from within the app to have Instagram investigate.
Make sure you give a detailed response about the issue you’re facing, the device you’re using, and what you were doing before and when it stopped working. The same applies to issues with signing in to your account.
Open the Instagram app and shake your phone to report the problem.
No. Uninstalling the Instagram app from your phone will not delete your account. It will only remove the app from your phone and won’t affect your followers, published posts, etc.
Go to “Settings -> Instagram.” Enable the toggle next to “Mobile data.”
Open the Instagram app settings and go to “Notifications.”
On Android, turn off the toggle next to “Pause all.” Also, take a look at individual notification settings and see whether any one of them are turned off.
On iOS, ensure that the “Allow Notifications” toggle is enabled and that alerts are active.
If you are getting a “Try again later” message in the Instagram app, it may be because Instagram banned you temporarily due to inappropriate activity from your account, such as using third-party tools to get more followers or likes. You can try the above fixes, link Facebook to Instagram, remove external links from your Instagram bio, or wait for a few days for the error to fix itself.
All screenshots and images by Mehvish Mushtaq.
Mehvish Mushtaq
Mehvish is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she's always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She's been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps.
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Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world, and therefore, when it suddenly stops working, some users even take heart. As a rule, Instagram servers are quite reliable, but anything can happen. It is for those unfortunate cases when the application still does not work, we have compiled a list of ways that can help you fix this misunderstanding.
Contents
If Instagram doesn't work for you, it might not work for others.
Before taking any more drastic measures, check if the servers of the social network itself, by chance, are the case. nine0003
There are several sites that allow you to do this, but we recommend using the Down Detector. Just go to the Instagram page on the Down Detector website and it will show you what is currently happening with your favorite service: “No problems at Instagram”, “Possible problems at Instagram” (Possible problems on the Instagram website) or "Problems at Instagram" (There are problems on the Instagram website). You can also report any issues you see to alert other users. nine0003
If Instagram's servers are the problem, there's little you can do but wait. If it doesn't, then keep moving down the list.
If everything is fine with the Instagram servers and it still does not work for you, try closing the application and reopening it. It is necessary to close the application by unloading the device from its memory, and not just minimize it.
Restarting the application may be a quick fix, but if the problem is more severe, this will require further action. nine0003
Closing and reopening Instagram will solve most problems, but if that doesn't work, you should definitely make sure you have the latest version of the app installed. Newer versions often contain bug fixes in addition to new features. Checking for updates for Instagram, like any other application, is very simple: open Google Play > bring up the menu by clicking on the "burger" icon in the upper left corner > open the My apps and games section > click the "Update" button next to the Instagram application, if it is available. nine0003
If your Instagram account isn't loading or you can't upload images, it may be due to your internet connection. If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, there are several methods, any of which can solve the problem with downloading the social network.
Try each of the items in the list below.
If none of the above work, try disabling Wi-Fi completely and see if Instagram works over the mobile network. If this happens, it's time to buy a new router, but if not, then it's time to move on to the next potential solution.
As with many technical problems, the simplest and most effective solution is to reboot your device. When Instagram is down, why not apply the same logic. nine0003
Reboot your device and this can instantly solve your problems with your favorite social network. Just press and hold the power button and then select Restart. If that doesn't work, move on to the next item on the list.
Sometimes when installing or updating Instagram, an error can occur that causes it to stop working.
The only way to fix this is to uninstall and reinstall the app. This is not at all difficult to do: open "Settings" > go to the section with applications "Apps and notifications" > find Instagram in the list and click "Delete". nine0003
Now all you have to do is find Instagram in the Google Play app store and reinstall it. Your device will automatically install the latest version of the app, but you may need to re-enter your login information.
If you've tried all of the methods on our list and Instagram still doesn't work, it could be a known app bug that the Instagram developers are already aware of and are working on fixing. You can track these issues and bugs in the so-called Instagram Known Issues list. nine0003
These known issues may have workarounds, so be sure to check the link above.
Share your opinion in the comments under this article and in our Telegram chat.
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If you're having trouble using Instagram, follow the steps below.
Before you start following these guidelines, make sure your phone or tablet has the latest version of the Instagram app and operating system. nine0003
Restart your phone or tablet
The first step in case of problems with Instagram is to restart your phone or tablet.
Check your internet connection
If restarting your device doesn't help, try launching Instagram while connected to a Wi-Fi network and a mobile operator network. The problem might be caused by a weak Wi-Fi signal or slow mobile data connection.
Uninstall and reinstall Instagram
If restarting your device and checking your internet connection doesn't help, try reinstalling the Instagram app. nine0003
iPhone or iPad
From the Home screen, press and hold the Instagram app icon until it starts to shake.
Click on an application to remove it. Your photo and profile data will be saved by Instagram.
Go to the App Store, install Instagram, and then sign in with your username and password.
